


Unforgiving Seabed

by probablyopal



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Complete, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-30 23:25:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14507757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probablyopal/pseuds/probablyopal
Summary: A story that takes place during the events of Ocean Gem.





	Unforgiving Seabed

I walked out onto the pier, and walked down to the old fishing boat I knew was my father's, the _Star,_ and saw him kneeling over the motor, checking on the engine.

"Hey, Dad." I said. "Yeah, hey, Jake. So... we're gonna go out fishing, right? That's what you said when you called, ain't it?"

"Yeah, I said that, Lyra." my dad said. "Why're you asking? You have a good enough memory. You should know."

"Just trying small talk." I said. I stepped onto the ship. "Sorry 'bout Mom."

"No need." he said. "I don't need any pity. Especially not 'cause she left."

"Ah, you don't, you say?" I asked. "Because you haven't seen how much I can, if I try to."

 "Oh, I know, Lyra." he said. "You were a really whiny baby. You're good at being annoying, when you put your mind to it. Ahh... those were the days."

"Okay, okay." I said, embarrassed. "Let's just go out to sea."

We got into the boat, untied it from the dock, and went out to sea.

* * *

 We made it to the spot where my dad liked to fish. It wasn't _exactly_ the spot, but we estimated. We triangulated using 2 mounts on shore and the mount at the Beach City spit, but he always eyeballed it, so it wasn't precise. He was always lucky here.

"Here we are, Lyra." my dad said. "I assume you're not gonna fish."

"Why?" I said. "I mean, I'm _not,_ but why'd you assume I wasn't?"

"Well, because look at yourself." he said. "You're thin and weak. You're just so... _soft._ Soft skin, soft arms, soft legs, soft belly... you know all of this."

"And what's wrong with that?" I said.

"And you're so naive. We should've let you socialize more, but... oh well. You're fine the way you are."

I nodded and smiled. "Aww, thanks." I said. "Well then, I'm just gonna sit here and watch you. We can talk, if you want. I mean, you've never been that talkative."

"Yeah, I know." he said. He sat down picked up his fishing rod, and cast it out about 3 feet out. "Let's start this far out." He leaned back in his chair, and started to wait.

* * *

After two hours, we had a bucket full of fish. Most of them were silver or grey, but one had rainbow scales, and I figured I could keep some of it's scales.

"So then, do you think we could go back?" he said. "They're starting to slow down now, and I think you want to get back to your friend, what's her name, Yumi Incorio."

"Ah, yeah, Incorio!" I said. "She's a little chubby, and really cute."

"And just as naive as you are." he said. "So of course the two of you became friends. Let's go back."

 "Yeah." I said. We started to sail towards shore, but then...

But then we noticed the water rising ahead of us.

**A wave.**

And it was coming towards us. He looked at it. "Oh, dear." he said. "What's that?"

Our boat started rising, and the wave went up, and our boat climbed the wave, over the top, and --

There was no water beneath our boat. We were high up over the unforgiving seabed, exposed to the air for the first time in ages.

Our boat -- it started falling. He held on to the railing, I held on to the top of the door frame. The boat did a twist in the air, and then stayed generally upright, swaying as it fell.

"Lyra!" my dad shouted over the wind. "Hold on as tight as you can!"

"I'm trying! I'm _trying!_ " I shouted back. "What the hell's goin' on, Dad!"

"I don't know!" he shouted. "I have no idea! Just _hold on_ and hope we survive!"

We fell... and fell... and fell... and fell...

"I -- my arms are slipping!" I shouted. "I'm -- I'm --"

I slipped out of the doorframe, holding on as hard as I could.

"Lyra!" my dad shouted. "Hold on! Hold on, just _try!_ "

The boat started whirling around and I didn't know what happened, and then --

* * *

 I woke up in the sand of the ocean floor. My left arm was wracked with pain, and absolutely useless. Next to me was a life raft that'd been thrown off of it. I knew, because it said  _Star_ on it. Off a little in the distance, I saw smoke rising up into the air. I walked towards it.

It was my father's boat, crushed, broken. The ship was in multiple pieces, scattered around a 200-square-foot area. Most of the hull, the cabin, the fuel tanks (which were on fire), some wreckage, and other stuff.

I looked in through a hole in the wreckage , then pulled my head out and saw a bloodied body. It was my father. I cried over it for -- I don't remember how long. It was all foggy. I stood up, and started walking down the barren desert, pockmarked by the wreckages of other ships. My arm didn't hurt anymore; it was numb, which I'd heard was worse.

The first shipwreck I came across was the fishing boat _Hydrokine._ The ship was engulfed in flames, and there was a fragment of wood lying near it that had  _INSPECTED FV HYDROKINE 071288 RC_  etched in it. I picked it up and kept walking.

Then, an hour later, I came across the broken-up  _Robert Moses._ It was fragmented and it looked like it had blown up. There was an intact bag of potato chips near the crater. I picked it up, opened it, and ate one, and then a gust of wind blew the bag out of my hands.

After another hour of walking, my legs ached badly, and I collapsed onto the sand. It was still damp, but it was drying, and getting hotter. And it was _sand._  It was uncomfortable, and that motivated me to stand up despite the pain and keep walking. There was nothing around, nothing I could see. I knew the wrecks of the boats -- the _Robert Moses,_ the _Hydrokine,_ and my father's -- were behind me, but I felt alone... so alone... I started crying. I kept walking.

* * *

 It was next day. I could finally see a mount. I recognized it: Beach City. I burst into a smile, jumped up and stuck my arm in the air, and opened my mouth to shout, but then, I stopped, straightened my face, and kept walking.

It took so long, but I finally made it to Beach City. As I walked up the beach, water washed up under my feet. I was on the edge of the beach. A few people were looking at me.

I collapsed onto the ground and burst into tears. One of the people ran up to me and picked me up, slung me over their shoulder, and carried me over to the other people. My left arm was starting to hurt again.

They laid me down on the street and all of them stood over me. I recognized one of them. Yumi Incorio. She didn't recognize me, and she walked away. They all walked away but one.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"Oh, a gem stole all the water." they said. "Uh... Lapis Lazuli." She walked away too.

I silently swore vengeance.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was my first fanfic published here. Hopefully it's good. That's what every writer hopes. Thanks for reading it, I guess.


End file.
